Jeffrey Epstein

The Epstein Story Is Both Conspiracy Theory and Genuine Scandal 

Time  -  The Epstein saga has become a snowball racing down Mount MAGA that the President has lost the capacity to stop. In the snowball’s immediate path? Some of the highest profile members of his administration, all of whom have gone quiet on what they had previously characterized as a dangerous conspiracy that needed to be brought to light.

But there are signs that this MAGA kerfuffle may be different from the ones before it. The cleft in the MAGA Movement is pronounced. Trump’s base may not so easily move on to the next culture war battle or shiny conspiracy theory. This could reverberate into next year’s midterm election and beyond, potentially shaping the second half of Trump’s term...

Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is warning that as many as 10% of Trump supporters may defect over feeling short-changed, perhaps costing House Republicans a dozen seats next November.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, typically deferential to Trump’s whims but mindful his majority is razor thin and in danger, told right-wing podcast Benny Johnson in an interview released Tuesday that he favors transparency—and to move on from this intra-party fight. “It’s a very delicate subject but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,” he said.

In a sign that this is eclipsing almost everything else, even those eyeing a 2028 campaign are taking the bait and weighing in. “Release the Epstein files and let the chips fall where they may. This is why people don’t trust government,” former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley posted on X. “You can never go wrong with being transparent. Redact victims’ names but release the rest.” And Charlie Kirk, who leads the populist Turning Point USA powerhouse with younger MAGA activists and has churned plenty of content out of the Epstein saga, has abruptly adopted a nothing-to-see-here approach and said he was done talking about it.

 

Via Thursday